Unbreakable
by ChoCedric
Summary: Set the night when Sirius goes to "lie low at Lupin's." When the two reunite, they realize that even after all the suspicion, hurt, and betrayal, their bond remains. They will need it through all the uncertainty to come.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: I had originally posted this as the start to a novel-length story, but I kind of lost inspiration for it. The story was going to be about Remus and Sirius and their road to recovering their destroyed friendship. I am sorry if I am disappointing anyone, but I do have some good news. Even though I couldn't get the novel to flow right, I am going to write some more one-shots following this one about certain moments of Sirius and Remus's friendship from the end of GoF to the end of OotP. I hope you will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. You can read them as a big group or you can read each one alone, it doesn't really matter.

As an additional note, I won't put any slash scenes in these fics, but if you want to read them as slash, go right ahead. I have no problem with slash in general, but just don't see any of it between the Marauders. But everyone has different opinions, so if you see Sirius and Remus's relationship as slash, that's fine by me.

Please review and let me know what you think of this first one-shot. Thank you in advance!

Unbreakable

By: ChoCedric

Remus Lupin sighed as he made himself a cup of tea. Ever since he'd resigned from the DADA teaching post at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, his life had been difficult. It seemed like no employers would take him, and he was very low on money. His food situation was getting rough, and without the comfort of the Wolfsbane Potion, his transformations were once again very discomforting.

As he sat at his shabby table and drank his tea, his mind strayed to thoughts of Hogwarts. Tonight was the night of the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, and his late best friend's son, Harry Potter, had been chosen to be champion, along with a bright Hufflepuff student he had taught last year named Cedric Diggory. This was unusual, because there was normally only one champion who competed from Hogwarts. Remus had a peculiar feeling that this change wasn't a good thing, and he wished he could be there to protect Harry. But the truth was, he was too much of a coward to return to Hogwarts and face the scowls of students and parents who now knew he was a werewolf.

Teaching at Hogwarts had brought so much nostalgia into his life. He could remember four young boys, faces alight with laughter, walking down the halls with plots and plans on their mind. How had it all gone so wrong? Seeing Harry again had brought everything back: all the good times, but the bad times as well. He could remember the last meeting that all four Marauders had shared; it had been extremely turbulent.

At the end of last year, though, something truly amazing had happened; Sirius Black had come back into his life, and he wasn't the betraying murderer Remus had believed him to be for the last thirteen years. When he'd pulled Sirius to his feet and the two had embraced like brothers, a tide of emotions rolled over Remus. After all this time, he had his best friend back.

But how would they mend the broken trust and all the suspicions that had come between them, for they had both suspected the other of betrayal. Sometimes Remus felt anger towards his friend; after all he'd been through, how could he possibly think Remus would turn his back on the Marauders and join people he loathed with a passion? All he wanted was to get rid of the monster inside him, why had Sirius thought he wanted to embrace it? It was sad how deeply werewolf prejudice ran.

Remus wondered where Sirius was now. Most of the time, he was just desperate to see him. Last he'd heard, Dumbledore had him safely in a cave near Hogwarts. Remus had been forbidden to see him, but he fervently hoped that Peter would be caught soon and Sirius would be freed. Then they could begin to mend their shattered trust.

Suddenly, there was a scritch! scritch! scritch! at his door, followed by a "woof!"

All the air rushed out of Remus's lungs, for he knew who that bark belonged to. What was he doing here? Had he come on Dumbledore's orders, or had he acted very rash again and decided to come of his own accord? It was just like Sirius to pull a stunt like this, Remus thought as he put his cup down and slowly made his way to the door.

When he opened it, he was bowled over and licked everywhere. He noticed the joy in the gesture, but there was a wild desperation there as well. Something was wrong, and Remus needed to know what it was immediately. He beckoned the huge, bearlike black dog inside, and Sirius obliged.

As soon as they walked into the house, Sirius changed back into himself. The first thing he did upon becoming human again was embrace Remus. As Remus hugged his best friend back, he noticed that Sirius was shaking. Something was definitely very, very wrong, and Remus grew afraid. Had something terrible happened to Harry?

"Hey, old friend," Sirius whispered into his ear as he seemed to cling on to Remus for dear life. It was as though he'd been on a long, harrowing journey and had had the fright of his life.

"Hey," Remus replied softly. "Sirius, what's wrong? Please tell me."

Sirius stared at Remus with a haunted expression for a few seconds. Then, he said in a voice so low it was barely audible, "He's back."

Remus didn't even need to ask who the "he" was that Sirius was referring to. He shakily led Sirius to the living room, all the color draining from his face. He sank onto the couch, motioning for Sirius to sit down beside him. "How?" he croaked.

"It happened tonight," Sirius said in a hoarse voice. "Harry and Cedric Diggory both won the Triwizard Tournament. They both reached the cup at the same time, and our Harry, being as noble as he is, told Diggory they could take it together."

"And what happened after that?" Remus prompted gently.

"The cup was a portkey, Rem," Sirius said in a broken voice. "It took them to a graveyard. Wormtail was waiting there for them, along with ... with Voldemort."

"Oh Merlin," Remus breathed. "Is Harry ... is he ..."

"He survived," said Sirius, "but Diggory ... Diggory didn't." His voice grew loud and furious. "Wormtail killed him, just like that! Voldemort told that little piece of vermin to "kill the spare", and he did! Diggory was only seventeen, and Wormtail took his life!" he roared.

Remus felt a knife slice through his heart. To think that their old friend Peter had turned into someone who would kill a young boy at the drop of a hat made him feel physically ill. Sirius was panting, fierce anger on his wasted visage. His hair hung in tangles, and he looked lost and alone.

"Tonight," he continued in his angry voice, "he just let Diggory lie there, dead, as if he were a fly that was just eliminated. Then he dragged Harry ... my godson ... to a headstone and tied him up."

"Oh God!" Remus cried. And to think, he and Sirius had befriended this coward.

"Then there was some awful ritual," Sirius snarled. "There was this cauldron, and Wormtail ... he cut Harry's freaking arm!" He began to shake with rage. "The blood from his arm was supposed to help Voldemort become stronger, it's part of the revolting ritual."

"How ... how did Harry escape?" Remus gasped.

Sirius's face changed then. He no longer looked angry, but very, very sad and full of pent-up emotion. "Prongs and Lily," he choked out. "Prongs and Lily helped him."

"Wha ... what?" Remus croaked, trying to keep up with Sirius's story.

"Priori Incantatem," Sirius whispered. "Voldemort and Harry have brother wands, so they can't duel properly against each other. Voldemort gave Harry back his wand and challenged him to a duel, you see. They both cast a spell at exactly the same time, and ... and ..."

"Lily and James came out of Voldemort's wand?" Remus whispered back.

"Yeah, and Diggory and Bertha Jorkins and this Muggle man who was murdered last summer," Sirius said. "They ... they helped Harry escape back to Hogwarts. Diggory ... Diggory told him to take his body back with him, so he did."

"Merlin," Remus said quietly. "That ... that must have been so traumatic for Harry."

"I wish I could've been there," Sirius said miserably. "So I could apologize to Prongs and Lily ... for everything I've done wrong. For not protecting their son while he was fighting for his life."

"Oh, Siri," Remus whispered gently, putting his arms around the broken man. Sirius stiffened at first, guilt and heartache displayed on his face. But he finally relaxed into the embrace, once again clinging on to his friend like he was his only anchor to Earth.

"Did Dumbledore send you here?" Remus asked after about a minute of silence.

"Yeah," Sirius said despondently. "It's time, Rem. It's time to reform the Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore told me to "lie low" at your place for awhile. Is that ... is that okay?" he asked hesitantly.

Remus smiled sadly at his friend, thinking about how much Azkaban had changed him. "Of course you can," he said reassuringly. "I'm afraid this flat isn't much, but you're welcome to stay. You can take my bed, I'll sleep on the sofa."

"No, no!" Sirius cried. "I don't want to abuse your hospitality!"

But remus put a finger to his lips to stop him from talking. "You can take my bed, Sirius." he said in a voice that brooked no argument. After a moment, he said, "Are you hungry?"

"Not really, but I suppose I should eat something," Sirius sighed.

He got up and followed his friend into the kitchen, where Remus made some spaghetti for them both.

"Harry looked so lost and vulnerable," Sirius said when they had sat down at the table and begun to eat. "I wish I could've stayed with him! It's not fair! He had to see the horror of death at such a young age, and it's all Wormtail's fault!"

"I know," Remus said gently. "It's not fair at all. Cedric Diggory was a wonderful student, and a bright one, too. He was always very helpful, and had a lot of friends."

"God," said Sirius, rubbing his tired eyes. "You should have heard the screams and sobs, Rem. I was sitting, in dog form, in Hagrid's pumpkin patch, and I heard the whole thing from the Quidditch pitch. The whole school had to look at a dead body!" he growled. "I swear, I don't care what Harry says. Next time I see Wormtail I'll ... I'll ..."

"Siri, calm down," Remus said, putting a hand on Sirius's shoulder. "As much as I want to go after Wormtail as well, we must concentrate on other things right now. What does Dumbledore need us to do?"

"Contact the old crowd," said Sirius, forcibly choking his rage at Diggory's death back. "He wants me to go in dog form, and you to explain to Mundungus Fletcher and Kingsley Shacklebolt about reforming the Order. Of course, Shacklebolt already knows I'm innocent, but Mundungus ... you'll have to explain the whole story to him. He'll probably be drunk, though." He chuckled hollowly. "Good old Dung."

"Does Albus know any place we can use for Headquarters?" Remus asked.

"Well," Sirius said, a range of emotions flitting across his exhausted face. "I'm spitting in the face of my foul, despicable parents, because I told him we could use 12 Grimmauld Place as Headquarters. My banshee of a mother died while I was in Azkaban, and as you know, dear old Daddy kicked the bucket when I was nineteen."

"Are you sure?" Remus asked, looking straight into Sirius's stricken eyes. "I know you hate that house."

"I'm fine to use it, as long as I don't have to live in that old dump," Sirius muttered.

"Well, you're welcome to stay here with me as long as you like," Remus offered, giving his friend a warm smile.

"Are ... are you sure? I don't deserve it," Sirius said sadly, putting his head in his hands.

"Siri, what makes you think that?" Remus asked gently, somehow already knowing the answer.

"I betrayed you, Moony," Sirius said morosely, using Remus's nickname for the first time. "All those years ago, I ... I thought it was you leaking information to Voldemort."

"I betrayed you as well," Remus sighed. "And I feel that you were the one worse off, for I thought you were guilty for thirteen years."

"What were you supposed to think, Remus?" asked Sirius, a mirthless laugh escaping his lips. "Every piece of evidence was against me, that worthless little rat had everyone fooled. Even Dumbledore knew I'd said I was the secret keeper. And plus, I betrayed you in school by callously telling Snape your secret."

"Siri, I know that was a mistake," Remus said in an upset tone. "That really hurt me, but we got past that, remember?"

"But that was the reason you suspected I was the spy even before James and Lily died," Sirius said in a monotone. "And don't deny it, Remus. I know that's the truth."

Remus said nothing, but he looked defeated and incredibly apologetic. "If I'd have known, you would have been out of Azkaban faster than you could say Sirius Black," he sighed. "I was a fool to believe you'd ever go dark."

"And I was a fool to believe that you would," Sirius said miserably. "But Peter ... that scum ... he got me to believe it. Kept saying you'd been acting differently, and he was afraid that you had gone to Voldemort. That rat is the lowest of the low." He growled a feral growl deep within his throat.

Remus laid a hand on his best friend's arm, trying to console him. "I know I acted differently in that last year," he said sadly. "And at the time, I wasn't allowed to tell you why. But I can tell you now. In October of 1980, Dumbledore informed me that he needed a spy among Fenrir Greyback's pack of ..."

"WHAT?" Sirius roared, jumping out of his seat so fast that it tipped over. "THAT UNFEELING BASTARD! HOW COULD HE MAKE YOU TALK AND BE WITH THE MAN THAT RUINED YOUR LIFE?"

Remus stood up too, and he faced Sirius. "Siri, please don't blame Dumbledore," he said softly. "He said I didn't have to do it, but I volunteered to."

"Why?" Sirius asked in desperation. "Why did you put yourself in a situation you knew you were going to hate?"

"Because," Remus answered in a clear voice, "I wanted to save anyone else from ending up like me. If I could stop Fenrir Greyback from the inside, it could have proved useful. I subtly tried to get werewolves on our side, but it was very difficult."

Sirius clenched his fists in rage. "And the whole time, Pettigrew was giving information to his master," he snarled, "and telling us that you weren't acting right. Even James and Lily were converted to his side. They were never angry with you, though; they were just very sad that someone who was close to them could betray them."

"After everything you guys did for me, the last thing I'd ever do is betray you," Remus said, inflecting all the honesty he could into the one simple sentence. "God, you don't know how much it upset me when I got the hint that you were suspecting me. At the time, though, I thought that maybe it was part of your game, to take the suspicion off yourself."

"I figured as much," said Sirius despondently. "Rem, can you ever forgive me? The entire time in Azkaban, I kept thinking about you, about how much I'd damaged our friendship, about all the hurtful things I'd said to you back in 1981. I know it's going to take a lot of time to heal the scars, hurt, and pain, and things might never be the same between us again. But we need each other, Moony. Right now, that idiot Fudge and the Ministry don't believe Voldemort's back, but once he's out in the open, the Second War will begin, and I don't think I'll be able to handle it without you."

Remus looked deep into his friend's heartbroken face again, and replied quietly, "Yes, it is going to take a while for things to mend, Padfoot, but yes, I can forgive you. I know I already asked this at the Shrieking Shack a year ago, but can you, in turn, forgive me for not getting you out of Azkaban, for not believing you in your time of need?"

Sirius stared straight back at Remus, and the vulnerability in his face tore a hole through his friend's heart. "Yes, I can forgive you," he whispered.

"Good," Remus said, squeezing Sirius's shoulder. "How about I make up the bed for you with some nice clean sheets?"

"Yeah, I'm exhausted," said Sirius, and he let out a huge yawn as though to prove the point. Remus chuckled and went into the other room to make the bed.

xxx

As Remus lay on the couch that night, he thought about what the day had brought him. It had delivered his long-lost friend to him, but as he had told Sirius, he knew it would take a long time for the chasm between them to mend, but he would try his best to fix things. The last thing he needed was a rift between him and Sirius when there were much bigger things to fight for now. Even though Sirius had not said it out loud, Remus knew the other man was terrified for Harry and for the war ahead.

He felt a few tears come to his eyes as he thought of James and Lily. Even dead, they had helped Harry in his time of greatest need. They had been there for him when he was facing the darkest wizard in a century and had helped him survive the encounter. He reflected on what special people they were, and prayed for them to continue to keep watch over their precious son, who Remus loved with all his heart.

He didn't know what was going to happen in the months and years ahead, but he hoped with everything he had in him that they would win the war and Voldemort would be defeated. He shed a silent tear for the Diggory boy, and hoped that wherever he was now, he was at peace. He even cried for Peter Pettigrew, lamenting the fact that his old friend had turned into the person he now was. He also prayed for Sirius not to have any nightmares that night, even though he knew that was probably impossible. And as he fell asleep, the last thought he had was that whatever lay before them now, they would stick together.


End file.
